bulbs

Sylvania's micro-mini-energy saver compact fluorescent bulbs have a few novel things going for them, but one of the more interesting is that they hold far less mercury than most CFLs.

The bulbs contain only 1.5 milligrams of mercury. Most CFLs have about five, according to Stephanie Anderson, the company's chief corporate spokesperson. That comes because the mercury is encased in a metal sphere. Conventional CFLs deploy mercury in its natural liquid state. Granted, it's still a pain to get rid of a CFL, but less mercury means less toxins.

Anderson also points out that the bulbs … Read more

What do energy hogs deserve for the holidays? Earth Aid Kits are a not-so-subtle hint to those who leave the lights on when they leave the room and the faucet on while they brush their teeth.

The customizable packages start at $75 for a dorm room, $80 for an apartment, and $99 for a home. The accompanying Web site offers carbon calculators designed to tally a household's needs and potential resource savings.

A family of three would save $460 in energy bills and 7,442 pounds of carbon after using a kit for a year, the company suggests.

Depending … Read more

Much of the stuff that comes out of Hong Kong-based Brando ranges from the curious to the bizarre, but every once in awhile its insane R&D department will come up with something that tickles our fancy, like this battery-powered LED lightbulb flashlight that Technabob found. And it would do the same to you too, if you grew up with bad--sorry, "classic"--TV in the '60s.

We're alluding to our affection for the Addams Family's "Uncle Fester," of course, best known for being able to light up a bulb using his mouth as a socket. … Read more

We all need these in our lives--colorful, squishy light bulbs. These are the sexy little Tykho fluorescent lights, designed by Marc Berthier for Lexon; they come in a variety of colors, and have a flexible silicon rubber exterior that...squishes. Aren't they adorable? Tykho lights can be powered by either four AA batteries or an AC adapter.

Unfortunately, they're about $60 per bulb. A tad much, if you ask me. I'll stick to plain old boring lighting for now. Booooo.

(Via Technabob)

So you've popped new, corkscrew-shaped, compact fluorescent lightbulbs into every lamp at home. Fingers crossed, your next electrical bill will shrink now that those wasteful incandescent lights are gone.

Millions more people may soon follow in your footsteps. A California lawmaker wants the state to ban the sale of energy-wasting incandescents altogether, as Australia is doing. Meanwhile, campaigns such as Yahoo's 18 Seconds promote switching to CFL bulbs, which are getting more shelf space in Wal-Mart stores.

However, the funny-looking fluorescents pose a pollution problem. Their energy savings may be ecofriendly, but each bulb contains enough methylmercury to … Read more

LEDs continue to pop up everywhere, from music players to your head, and one company from Japan is taking them to new frontiers in the great outdoors.

Like all LEDs, Iwasaki Electric's "Bouhantou" is remarkably efficient--it can last for 40,000 and requires far less energy to operate than standard bulbs. But Gizmowatch notes that it has one important distinction: The Bouhantou doesn't emit ultraviolet light, which means it won't attract insects.

And that, in our entomophobic opinion, is the best thing about it.

Doesn't it seem like "titanium" is high-tech code for "trust us, it can do anything?" Take this, for example. The makers of the Fresh 2 Light Bulbs, which I read about at Apartment Therapy, claim that the titanium dioxide coating of these light bulbs makes them eliminate odors in the room once they've been turned on for 10 minutes. Cool concept, right?

Apartment Therapy's blogger is pretty skeptical about how well these things actually work, and I must say I'm agreeing for now. Until I've read a concrete review, and/or … Read more